honeycleaner

I'd be nervous about that too. Chicago, while not NY or LA, has the ability to provide opportunity after you graduate. in order to pursue art after UT, you'd probably have to move to an "art-city" anyways. why displace yourself when you can start creating a centralized network during school? Just my opinion on the logistical aspects. I think UChicago is on a much brighter path than UT, which is also just my opinion. What faculty persons are you interested in at UT?

for real. also, who, having already interviewed at/been to both places, would ask that question.... regardless, jtc is right. unless you have loads of money, Columbia will probably put you in extensive debt. regardless of finances, if youre a painter, I'd say Yale.

even with half-tuition covered youre looking at $80,000+ of debt. its an MFA, not an MBA... cant stomach it. awesome, thanks

hey jtc, do you feel that the discourse within the painting program requires you to articulate or position the things you make as being within or originating from 'painting?' (regardless of the things formal/material outcome)

CAN beat the cost of living/working "right in manhattan," though. if $$ wasnt a factor, Columbia would still be in the running... but the debt that some of these places are putting the majority of their students into should be illegal **cough SAIC/Columbia cough**. I do like Yale a lot, but UChicago's program structure seems more akin to what art actually is in contemporary theory. I am also weary of going to a school that graduates 60+ MFA's a year as opposed to UChicago's 8-10.

hey greenbean, there's a chance my spot at Yale will open up. i'm like 55-60% UChicago and 40-45% Yale right now.

....i need another month to make this decision.

oh, also, one of the students at UofC told me they took all of the MFAs on a two week all-expenses-paid trip to Beijing and hung out with ai weiwei at his house...

sure. from my perspective, UofC is on par with the others and might even have more going for it. obviously this is just my take on things, and a lot of people would disagree, but the MFA landscape can change pretty quickly and i think many have already caught on. UofC has all the resources and institutional prestige to have an MFA program at the level of the acknowledged ivies, but they havent shown an interest in building such a program until very recently. in the last two years theyve gone through some serious changes - new crazy-awesome building, very notable faculty hirings, and increased funding to students. its not seen as an established 'power-house' type program like Yale or Columbia, but it very well might be in the near future. the students and other interviewees i talked to at each program seemed to all be at an equally high level. my concerns: chicago does not have as much of an art MARKET as ny, though it did seem to have a very lively art scene. also, hyde park, where UofC is located, is a bit south of the thick of things. but then again, its a really cool area and they do have one of the best contemporary art institutions in the country, the renaissance society, which is on campus. i hear there are some pretty bad neighborhoods south and west of the school, but the students pegged it as a non-issue.... side note: im very skeptical of the notion that ny/la are the best/only places to be successful. chicago is less expensive and might be a better place for beginning-career artists. i havent made any decisions yet as I'm still waiting to hear from Yale, but to be honest, im leading towards UofC - call me crazy. i might change my mind within the next couple weeks... we'll see

this calculator might be more indicative (and less terrifying) of MFA debt repayment: http://www.ibrinfo.org/calculator.php

Hi all, been reading this thing for a little while. for those of you relocating out-of-state and into urban areas, how far in advance are you looking into housing?